Content distribution system

ABSTRACT

A networked computer system distributes content that is to be added to receipts by receipt issuing devices. The system includes a central server, first and second store servers communicating with the central server over a first network, first receipt issuing devices communicating with the first store server over a first local network, and second receipt issuing devices communicating with the second store server over a second local network. A first control plane is implemented in the central server to control whether or not the content is to be distributed to the first store server and whether or not the content is to be distributed to the second store server. A second control plane is implemented in the first and second store servers to control whether or not the content is to be distributed to the first and second receipt issuing devices, respectively.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/656,783, filed Jul. 21, 2017, which application is based upon andclaims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No.2016-151506, filed Aug. 1, 2016, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a content distributionsystem.

BACKGROUND

In the related art, when retail stores such as supermarkets sell itemsof merchandise to customers, the retail stores issue receipts on whichdetails related to transactions thereof are printed. In the related art,the receipts are also used as output media of advertising content, andso technologies for distributing advertising content to devices thatissue the receipts have been developed.

Incidentally, in order to carry out such advertisement technique on alarge scale, it is necessary for a large number of different storesoperated by a plurality of different companies to implement technologyto add the advertisement to receipts to be issued. To achieve this, itis necessary to manage the distribution of the advertisement using acentral server that communicates with a plurality of store serversconnected to the receipt issuing devices. In such systems, thedistribution of content is controlled through an input interface madeavailable by the central server. With this input interface, the user candefine the condition for distributing the advertising content to thestore servers so that the advertising content is distributed to onlythose store servers that meet the condition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example distribution system according toan embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof a distribution server.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a storetable.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of anissuance device table.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of anadditional information table.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of anaddition schedule table.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof a user terminal.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof a store server.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof an issuance device.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of thedevices of the distribution system.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure ofdistribution information.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example receipt to which the additionalinformation is added.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example sequence of operations of adistribution process.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example sequence of operations of arefusal registration process.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example sequence of operations of asetting process.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example sequence of operations of acancellation process.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example sequence of operations of anissuance process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments provide a novel control plane in a networked computer systemfor distributing content that is to be added to receipts by receiptissuing devices. The large-scale computer system includes a root node(e.g., central server), a plurality of intermediate nodes (e.g., storeservers), and a plurality of leaf nodes (e.g., receipt issuing devices).In addition to implementing a control plane at the root node,embodiments implemented an additional, novel control plane at theintermediate nodes.

In general, according to one embodiment, a networked computer systemdistributes content that is to be added to receipts by receipt issuingdevices. The system includes a central server at a root node of thenetworked computer system, a plurality of store servers that areintermediate nodes of the networked computer system, the store serversincluding a first store server communicating with the central serverover a first network and a second store server communicating with thecentral server over the first network, a plurality of first receiptissuing devices that are leaf nodes of the networked computer system,the first receipt issuing devices communicating with the first storeserver over a first local network, and a plurality of second receiptissuing devices that are also leaf nodes of the networked computersystem, the second receipt issuing devices communicating with the secondstore server over a second local network. A first control plane isimplemented at the root node to control whether or not the content is tobe distributed to the first store server and whether or not the contentis to be distributed to the second store server, and a second controlplane is implemented at each of the intermediate nodes, the secondcontrol plane implemented at the first store server controlling whetheror not the content is to be distributed to the first receipt issuingdevices and the second control plane implemented at the second storeserver controlling whether or not the content is to be distributed tothe second receipt issuing devices.

In general, according to another embodiment, a content distributionserver is at a root node of a networked computer system that has storeservers that are intermediate nodes of the networked computer system,the store servers including a first store server communicating with thecontent distribution server over a first network and a second storeserver communicating with the content distribution server over the firstnetwork, a plurality of first receipt issuing devices that are leafnodes of the networked computer system, the first receipt issuingdevices communicating with the first store server over a first localnetwork, and a plurality of second receipt issuing devices that are alsoleaf nodes of the networked computer system, the second receipt issuingdevices communicating with the second store server over a second localnetwork. The content distribution server includes a control unitincluding a processor, and a storage unit in which control programsexecuted in the processor are stored. The control programs includeexecutable code for a management unit that manages data structures thatassociate store codes capable of identifying stores corresponding to thestore servers, device codes capable of identifying the first and secondreceipt issuing devices, and print specifications of the first andsecond receipt issuing devices, a distribution unit that generatescontent that is to be added to receipts issued by the first and secondreceipt issuing devices, and a reception unit that process controlinputs relating to whether or not the content is to be distributed tothe first store server and whether or not the content is to bedistributed to the second store server. The first receipt issuingdevices includes a first device with a first print specification and asecond device with a second print specification, and the second receiptissuing devices includes a third device with the first printspecification and a fourth device with the second print specification,and the distribution unit selects as a distribution target for a firstcontent, the first and third devices and not the second and fourthdevices, and to select as a distribution target for a second content,the second and fourth devices and not the first and third devices.

Hereinafter, a large-scale content distribution system according toembodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.The embodiments of the large-scale content distribution system describedbelow are not limiting, and it should be understood that there are otherembodiments of the large-scale content distribution system.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example distribution system 1 accordingto the embodiment. The distribution system 1 includes a distributionserver 10, user terminals 20, and store systems 30. The distributionserver 10, the user terminal 20, and the store system 30 are connectedvia a distribution network 40 such as the Internet or a virtual privatenetwork (VPN).

The distribution server 10 is a server device. The distribution server10 distributes additional information, such as an advertisement to beadded to a receipt, to each of the store systems 30 (store servers 50 tobe described below). The distribution server 10 is not limited to oneserver device, and may be a plurality of server devices in a group. Whenthe distribution server 10 is a server device group, functions of thedistribution server 10 maybe distributed among the server devices. Whenthe distribution server 10 is the server device group, variousinformation items stored in the distribution server 10 may bedistributed among and may be stored in the server devices.

The user terminal 20 is an information processing device such as acomputer or a smart phone used by an administrator of the store system30. For example, before the additional information is distributed, usingthe user terminal 20, the administrator of the store system 30 maytransmit a refusal of the distribution of the additional information tothe distribution server 10.

The store system 30 is a system established in a store of a retail storesuch as a supermarket. Each store system 30 includes a store server 50and issuance devices 60. The issuance device 60 and the store servers 50are connected via a store network 70 such as a VPN.

The store server 50 is an information processing device such as acomputer that manages the issuance devices 60 belonging to the storesystem 30. That is, after the additional information is distributed, thestore server 50 transmits a cancellation of the addition of theadditional information to the receipt, to the issuance device 60 thatreceives the additional information added to the receipt on which thetransaction content related to the transaction is represented.

The issuance device 60 is a device that issues printed matter (e.g.,receipt) on which a transaction content related to one transaction isprinted. For example, the issuance device 60 is a point of sales (POS)terminal, a kiosk terminal that provides various information items to acustomer in the store, a receipt printer that prints a receipt, aself-service POS terminal that allows the customer in person to readmerchandise, or a measurement device that issues a receipt with ameasurement of a weight of the merchandise and a price in accordancewith a measurement value.

The issuance device 60 also registers a service or merchandise as asales target related to one transaction. The issuance device 60 issues areceipt on which transaction content related to one transaction such asa total price of the registered merchandise or service is printed. Inthe embodiments, the issuance device 60 issues a receipt to which theadditional information is added based on a condition for adding theadditional information to the receipt.

Hereinafter, hardware configurations of various devices included in thedistribution system 1 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof the distribution server 10. The distribution server 10 includes acontrol unit 101, a storage unit 102, a communication interface 103, adisplay unit 104, and an operation unit 105. The control unit 101, thestorage unit 102, the communication interface 103, the display unit 104,and the operation unit 105 are connected to each other through a systembus 106.

The control unit 101 controls the entire operation of the distributionserver 10, and carries out various functions of the distribution server10. The control unit 101 includes a central processing unit (CPU), aread only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). The CPUgenerally controls the operation of the distribution server 10. The ROMis a storage medium that stores various programs or data items. The RAMis a storage medium that temporarily stores various programs and variousdata items. The CPU executes the program stored in the ROM or thestorage unit 102 while using the RAM as a work area.

The storage unit 102 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD)or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit 102 stores a controlprogram 107, a store table 108, an issuance device table 109, anadditional information table 110, and an addition schedule table 111.The store table 108, the issuance device table 109, the additionalinformation table 110, and the addition schedule table 111 are notlimited to be stored in the distribution server 10, and may be stored inanother server device.

The control program 107 includes a program executed by the CPU to carryout the functions of the distribution server 10, as disclosed herein,and an operating system.

The store table 108 stores information related to each store. FIG. 3 isa diagram showing an example of a data structure of the store table 108.As shown in FIG. 3, the store table 108 stores store codes, companycodes, store attributes, store server codes, and one or a plurality ofissuance device codes, such that these codes are associated with eachother. The store code is identification information capable ofidentifying the store. The company code is identification informationcapable of identifying a company that operates the stores. The storeattribute is an attribute of the store. For example, the store attributeis a location or a business type and business category. The location isinformation indicating a place where the store is located. For example,the location is an address of the store. The business type and businesscategory is information indicating a business type or a businesscategory of the store. For example, the business type and businesscategory is a supermarket, a convenience store, grocery retailer, or arestaurant business. The store table 108 is not limited to the storeattribute such as the location or the business type and businesscategory, and may store other attributes of the store. The store servercode is identification information for identifying the store server 50provided in the store. The issuance device code is identificationinformation capable of identifying each of the issuance devices 60provided in each store.

The issuance device table 109 stores information related to the issuancedevice 60. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure ofthe issuance device table 109. As shown in FIG. 4, the issuance devicetable 109 stores issuance device codes, device types, manufacturercodes, device model codes, and versions such that these informationitems are associated with each other. The device type is a type of theissuance device 60. For example, the device type is a POS terminal, akiosk terminal, a receipt printer, a self-service POS terminal, or ameasurement device that is also capable of issuing a receipt. Theissuance device code is identification information capable ofidentifying the issuance device 60. The manufacturer code is informationindicating a company that manufactures the issuance device 60. Thedevice model code is identification information capable of identifying amodel of the issuance device 60. The version is information indicating achange stage of the issuance device 60. The print specification is asize or a resolution. The size is information indicating a size of aregion of the receipt in which the additional information can beprinted. That is, the size is information indicating sizes of the regionin which the additional information can be printed in a longitudinaldirection and a transverse direction. The resolution is the density ofdots with which the additional information is printed. The issuancedevice table 109 is not limited to the print specification such as thesize or the resolution, and may store another print specification. Inthe present embodiment, the issuance device table 109 stores the printspecification. The print specification is not limited to be stored inthe issuance device table 109, and may store the print specification inanother data table.

The additional information table 110 stores and manages the additionalinformation. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a data structureof the additional information table 110. As shown in FIG. 5, theadditional information table 110 stores additional information codes,on-specification-basis codes, additional information items, and printspecifications such that these information items are associated witheach other. The additional information code is identificationinformation for identifying the additional information. The additionalinformation table 110 stores a plurality of additional informationitems, each having a different print specification for one additionalinformation code. More specifically, the additional information table110 may store a plurality of additional information items of whichcontents to be printed on receipts are the same but print specificationsare different, or may store a plurality of additional information itemsof which the advertisement is for the same merchandise but words orimages of the advertisement are different from each other. Theon-specification-basis code is identification information foridentifying each additional information item for each printspecification. The additional information may be image data or characterdata, and the content of the additional information is not limited. Forexample, the content of the additional information may be anadvertisement, maybe a coupon, or may be a four-frame cartoon. The printspecification is a print specification of the issuance device 60 that isto add the additional information and print the added additionalinformation. More specifically, the print specification includes a sizeand/or a resolution. The size is information indicating a size of aregion in which the additional information is to be printed on thereceipt. That is, the size is information indicating the sizes of theadditional information to be printed on the receipt in the longitudinaldirection and the transverse direction. The resolution is the density ofdots with which the additional information is to be printed. Theadditional information table 110 is not limited to the printspecification such as the size or the resolution, and may store adifferent print specification of the additional information.

The addition schedule table 111 stores a schedule at which theadditional information will be added to the receipt in each store. FIG.6 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of the additionschedule table 111. As shown in FIG. 6, the addition schedule table 111stores addition schedule information items and refusal store codes, suchthat these information items are associated with each other. Theaddition schedule information is information indicating the date andtime and condition for adding each additional information item to thereceipt. The addition schedule information stores dates, time periods,device types, addition conditions, and additional information codes,such that these information items are associated with each other. Thedate is information indicating a date when the additional information isallowed to be added. The time period is information indicating a timeperiod when the additional information is allowed to be added. Thedevice type is a type of the issuance device 60. For example, the devicetype may be the POS terminal, the kiosk terminal, the receipt printer,the self-service POS terminal, or the measurement device that issues thereceipt. The device type may be set such that a specific type of deviceis not designated. The addition condition is a condition for adding theadditional information. Any condition may be set as the additioncondition. For example, the addition condition may be an attribute ofthe customer such as a gender or an age. The addition condition may bemerchandise purchased in one transaction, the number of pieces ofmerchandise purchased, or a total amount of money. When the merchandiseis set as the addition condition, for example, the additionalinformation is added under a condition in which specific merchandise ispurchased. When the number of pieces of merchandise purchased or thetotal amount of money is set as the addition condition, for example, theadditional information is added under a condition in which the number ofpieces of merchandise purchased or the total amount of money is equal toor greater than a threshold. The addition condition may be a member of aspecific organization. When the member is set as the addition condition,for example, the additional information is added under a condition inwhich a membership code of a membership card is presented. The additioncondition is not limited to one type, and may be plural in number. Theadditional information code is information indicating additionalinformation to be added to the receipt under a condition in which theaddition condition is satisfied for the receipt issued in the timeperiod of the date when the additional information is added. The refusalstore code is a store code of the store that is not participating in theaddition of the additional information and has refused the distributionof the additional information thereto. The addition schedule table 111stores one or a plurality of store codes, as the refusal store code.

The communication interface 103 is an interface for communicating with adevice connected to the distribution network 40.

The display unit 104 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device(LCD). The display unit 104 is not limited to the liquid crystaldisplay, and may be, for example, an organic EL display device.

The operation unit 105 is an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse.The operation unit 105 receives an operation for the distribution server10.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 includes a control unit201, a storage unit 202, a communication interface 203, a display unit204, and an operation unit 205. The control unit 201, the storage unit202, the communication interface 203, the display unit 204, and theoperation unit 205 are connected to each other through a system bus 206.

The control unit 201 controls the entire operation of the user terminal20, and carries out various functions of the user terminal 20. Thecontrol unit 201 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU generallycontrols the operation of the user terminal 20. The ROM is a storagemedium that stores various programs or data items. The RAM is a storagemedium that temporarily stores various programs and various data items.The CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 202while using the RAM as a work area.

The storage unit 202 is a storage device such as an HDD or an SSD. Thestorage unit 202 stores a control program 207. The control program. 207includes a program executed by the CPU to carryout the functions of theuser terminal 20, as disclosed herein, and an operating system.

The communication interface 203 is an interface for communicating with adevice connected to the distribution network 40.

The display unit 204 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device(LCD). The display unit 204 is not limited to the liquid crystaldisplay, and may be, for example, an organic EL display device.

The operation unit 205 is an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse.The operation unit 205 receives an operation for the user terminal 20.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof the store server 50. The store server 50 includes a control unit 501,a storage unit 502, a communication interface 503, a display unit 504,and an operation unit 505. The control unit 501, the storage unit 502,the communication interface 503, the display unit 504, and the operationunit 505 are connected through a system bus 506.

The control unit 501 controls the entire operation of the store server50, and carries out various functions of the store server 50. Thecontrol unit 501 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU generallycontrols the operation of the store server 50. The ROM is a storagemedium that stores various programs or data items. The RAM is a storagemedium that temporarily stores various programs and various data items.The CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 502while using the RAM as a work area.

The storage unit 502 is a storage device such as an HDD or an SSD. Thestorage unit 502 stores a control program 507. The control program. 507includes a program executed by the CPU to carry out the functions of thestore server 50, as disclosed herein, and an operating system.

The communication interface 503 is an interface for communicating with adevice connected to the distribution network 40 or the store network 70.

The display unit 504 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device(LCD). The display unit 504 is not limited to the liquid crystaldisplay, and may be, for example, an organic EL display device.

The operation unit 505 is an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse.The operation unit 505 receives an operation for the store server 50.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof the issuance device 60. In the present embodiment, an example inwhich the issuance device 60 is the POS terminal will be described. Theissuance device 60 includes a control unit 601, a storage unit 602, acommunication interface 603, a first display unit 604, a second displayunit 605, an operation unit 606, a printer 607, a card reader and writer608, and a scanner 609. The control unit 601, the storage unit 602, thecommunication interface 603, the first display unit 604, the seconddisplay unit 605, the operation unit 606, the printer 607, the cardreader and writer 608, and the scanner 609 are connected to each othervia a system bus 610.

The control unit 601 controls the entire operation of the issuancedevice 60, and carries out various functions of the issuance device 60.The control unit 601 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU generallycontrols the operation of the issuance device 60. The ROM is a storagemedium that stores various programs or data items. The RAM is a storagemedium that temporarily stores various programs and various data items.The CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 602while using the RAM as a work area.

The storage unit 602 is a storage device such as an HDD or an SSD. Thestorage unit 602 stores a control program 611. The control program 611includes a program executed by the CPU to carry out the functions of theissuance device 60, as disclosed herein, and an operating system.

The communication interface 603 is an interface for communicating with adevice connected to the store network 70.

The first display unit 604 is a liquid crystal display device (LCD) inwhich touch panel is overlaid on a display surface. For example, thefirst display unit 604 displays various screens for a salesperson of thestore. The second display unit 605 is a liquid crystal display device(LCD) in which a touch panel is overlaid on a display surface. Forexample, the second display unit 605 displays various screens for asalesperson of the store.

The operation unit 606 is an input device such as a keyboard. Theoperation unit 606 may be a touch panel overlaid on the first displayunit 604 or a touch panel overlaid on the second display unit 605.

The printer 607 issues a receipt acquired by printing a transactioncontent related to one transaction is printed on a predetermined sheet.The card reader and writer 608 scans a card in order to read cardinformation from the card. The scanner 609 optically reads codeinformation from a code symbol such as a barcode assigned to merchandisebrought by the customer.

Hereinafter, functions of the respective devices of the distributionsystem 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 10 is a block diagram showingfunctional configurations of the respective devices of the distributionsystem 1.

The control unit 101 of the distribution server 10 loads the controlprogram 107 stored in the storage unit 102 into the RAM, and is operatedaccording to the control program 107 to implement the respectivefunctional units shown in FIG. 10 in the RAM. Specifically, the controlunit 101 of the distribution server 10 includes, as functional units, acommunication control unit 1001, a store management unit 1002, anadditional information registration unit 1003, a schedule registrationunit 1004, a target extraction unit 1005, a distribution informationgeneration unit 1006, and a distribution control unit 1007.

The communication control unit 1001 functions as a reception unit and atransmission unit according to the present embodiment. The communicationcontrol unit 1001 controls the communication interface 103 tocommunicate with a device such as the user terminal 20 or the storeserver 50 connected to the distribution network 40. The communicationcontrol unit 1001 also controls the communication interface 103 tocommunicate with a device such as the issuance device 60 connected tothe store network 70 through the store server 50.

The store management unit 1002 functions as a management unit of thepresent embodiment. The store management unit 1002 manages informationrelated to the store. That is, the store management unit 1002 managesthe store table 108 and the issuance device table 109. For example, whena store is newly added, the store management unit 1002 adds the newstore to the store table 108. When an issuance device 60 is newly added,the store management unit 1002 adds the new issuance device code of anissuance device 60 to be added to the store table 108.

The additional information registration unit 1003 registers additionalinformation to be distributed in the additional information table 110.The additional information registration unit 1003 may register theadditional information generated in the distribution server 10 in theadditional information table 110. For example, the additionalinformation registration unit 1003 may register the additionalinformation received by the communication control unit 1001 from anexternal device in the additional information table 110. The additionalinformation registration unit 1003 may also register the additionalinformation input from an external device through a connection interfacesuch as a universal serial bus (USB) interface in the additionalinformation table 110.

The schedule registration unit 1004 sets a schedule at which theadditional information is allowed to be added to the receipt orcondition for adding the additional information to the receipt, in theaddition schedule table 111. That is, the schedule registration unit1004 sets for each date, the time period when the additional informationis allowed to be added, the addition condition based on which theadditional information is to be added, the device type of the issuancedevice 60 to which the additional information is added, and theadditional information for each addition condition. The scheduleregistration unit 1004 may register the schedule in the additionschedule table 111 based on inputs received through the operation unit105. The schedule registration unit 1004 may register the schedule orthe condition in the addition schedule table 111 based on informationreceived by the communication control unit 1001 from the externaldevice. The schedule registration unit 1004 may register the schedule orthe condition in the addition schedule table 111 based on informationinput from the external device through the connection interface such asthe USB interface. The schedule registration unit 1004 may register thedates, the time periods, the device types, and the addition conditions,or some subset thereof.

In order to indicate the refusal of the addition of the additionalinformation to the receipt, the schedule registration unit 1004registers the store code of the store that refuses the distribution ofthe additional information. More specifically, the schedule registrationunit 1004 causes the communication control unit 1001 to transmit theaddition schedule information under a condition in which thecommunication control unit 1001 receives an addition schedule requestfor requesting the schedule of the additional information added to thereceipt from the user terminal 20. The schedule registration unit 1004causes the communication control unit 1001 to transmit the additionalinformation having the additional information code designated in theaddition schedule information. The communication control unit 1001receives the store code of the store that refuses the addition of theadditional information, and the refused additional information codeunder a condition in which specific additional information refused to beadded, is selected through the user terminal 20. The scheduleregistration unit 1004 registers the store code received in associationwith the refused additional information code in addition schedule table111, as the refusal store code.

The target extraction unit 1005 extracts the store server 50 of thestore system 30 that satisfies the designated extraction condition fromthe store table 108, as the store server 50 that transmits theadditional information. Any condition may be set as an extractioncondition. For example, the extraction condition may be the companycode, the store attribute, and a combination thereof. The targetextraction unit 1005 may extract the store servers 50 of the pluralityof stores corresponding to different company codes under a condition inwhich the extraction condition is appropriate. The target extractionunit 1005 may extract the store server 50 of the store of which thelocation is included in a designated region irrespective of the companycode under a condition in which a specific location is designated as theextraction condition. The target extraction unit 1005 extracts the storeserver 50 of the store for which the business type and business categoryis the restaurant irrespective of the company code under a condition inwhich the restaurant is designated as the extraction condition.

The distribution information generation unit 1006 generates distributioninformation to be distributed to each store server 50 extracted by thetarget extraction unit 1005 in cooperation with the distribution controlunit 1007. The distribution information includes the issuance devicecode, the time period when the additional information is allowed to beadded to the receipt, and the addition condition set in the additionschedule table 111, e.g., gender, age. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing anexample of a data structure of the distribution information. Thedistribution information is stored such that the issuance device code,the time period, the addition condition, and the additional informationare associated with each other. The issuance device code is informationindicating the issuance device 60 that is to add the additionalinformation to the receipt. The time period is information indicatingthe time period when the additional information is allowed to be addedto the receipt. The addition condition is information indicating thecondition based on which the additional information is to be added tothe receipt.

The issuance device 60 adds the additional information to the receipt inaccordance with the time period, and the addition condition set forth inthe distribution information. It should be noted that the issuancedevices 60 of different device types add different additionalinformation items to the receipts according to their device types. Forexample, the issuance devices 60 having different device types adddifferent additional information items to the receipts according totheir print specification, such as the size of the printable receipt orthe printing resolution.

The distribution information generation unit 1006 generates thedistribution information according to the device type for each issuancedevice 60 of each store system 30 extracted by the target extractionunit 1005. More specifically, the distribution information generationunit 1006 extracts the issuance device code associated with the storeserver code of the store system 30 as a distribution destination in thestore table 108. The distribution information generation unit 1006extracts the device type of the extracted issuance device code bycomparing the extracted issuance device code with the issuance devicecode of the issuance device table 109. The distribution informationgeneration unit 1006 extracts the print specification of the issuancedevice code of the issuance device 60 from the issuance device table109, as the extracted distribution destination. The distributioninformation generation unit 1006 selects the additional information itemappropriate for the extracted device type and print specification fromthe additional information table 110.

The distribution information generation unit 1006 may generate thedistribution information by various methods. For example, thedistribution information generation unit 1006 may set the additionalinformation to be appropriate for the print specification of theissuance device 60 by converting the additional information having theadditional information code set in the addition schedule table 111 intothe additional information appropriate for the print specification ofthe issuance device 60. More specifically, the distribution informationgeneration unit 1006 extracts the additional information code set in theaddition schedule table 111. The distribution information generationunit 1006 extracts the print specification of the issuance device 60 asthe distribution destination from the issuance device table 109. Thedistribution information generation unit 1006 converts the additionalinformation having the extracted additional information code into theadditional information appropriate for the print specification of theissuance device 60. For example, the conversion of the additionalinformation means that the size of the print specification of theadditional information is increased or decreased. Accordingly, thedistribution information generation unit 1006 generates the distributioninformation appropriate for the device type and the print specification.The process of converting the additional information into the additionalinformation appropriate for the extracted print specification is notlimited to being performed in the distribution server 10, and maybeperformed by the store server 50 or the issuance device 60.

Here, there is additional information which is not preferable to beadded to the receipts in some stores. Each store registers the storecode in association with the additional information which is not desiredto be added, as the refusal store code. Accordingly, the distributioninformation generation unit 1006 excludes such additional informationfrom the distribution information. That is, the distribution informationgeneration unit 1006 generates the distribution information includingthe additional information items and excluding the refused additionalinformation items under a condition in which there are additionalinformation items that have been refused and additional informationitems that have not been refused in the addition schedule table 111.

The distribution control unit 1007 functions as a distribution unit ofthe present embodiment in cooperation with the communication controlunit 1001. The distribution control unit 1007 controls the communicationcontrol unit 1001 to transmit the distribution information generated bythe distribution information generation unit 1006 to the store server 50extracted by the target extraction unit 1005. Each store server 50 thatreceives the distribution information distributes the additionalinformation to the issuance device having the issuance device codedesignated in the distribution information.

Specifically, the distribution control unit 1007 causes the targetextraction unit 1005 to extract the store server 50 under a condition inwhich a predetermined distribution condition is satisfied. When thecondition is satisfied, the distribution control unit 1007 causes thedistribution information generation unit 1006 to generate thedistribution information. The distribution control unit 1007 causes thecommunication control unit 1001 to transmit the generated distributioninformation to the extracted store server 50. Here, the additionalinformation code associated with a refusal store code is excluded fromthe distribution information distributed to the store having the refusalstore code. That is, the distribution control unit 1007 controls thedistribution of the additional information to the store server 50 of thestore that refuses the distribution so that the refused additionalinformation is excluded. The distribution control unit 1007 distributesthe distribution information including the remaining additionalinformation items in situations where there are additional informationitems that have been refused and additional information items that havenot been refused. Any condition may be set as the distributioncondition. For example, the distribution condition may be apredetermined time, or may receive an operation for instructing thedistribution of the distribution information. The distributiondestination of the distribution information is not limited to the storeserver 50, and may be the issuance device 60.

The control unit 201 of the user terminal 20 loads the control program207 stored in the storage unit 202 into the RAM, and is operatedaccording to the control program 207, to implement the respectivefunctional units shown in FIG. 10 in the RAM. Specifically, the controlunit 201 of the user terminal 20 includes, as functional units, acommunication control unit 2001, a display control unit 2002, anoperation control unit 2003, and a refusal setting unit 2004.

The communication control unit 2001 controls the communication interface203 to communicate with a device such as the distribution server 10 orthe store server 50 connected to the distribution network 40. Thecommunication control unit 2001 controls the communication interface 203to communicate with a device such as the issuance device 60 connected tothe store network 70 through the store server 50.

The display control unit 2002 controls the display unit 204 to displayvarious information items. The operation control unit 2003 controls theoperation unit 205 to receive inputs relating to various operations.

The refusal setting unit 2004, in response to user inputs, sets arefusal to add to the receipt, the additional information of theadditional information code selected from the addition scheduleinformation received by the communication control unit 2001 from thedistribution server 10. That is, the refusal setting unit 2004 sets arefusal to distribute the additional information to be added to thereceipt. More specifically, the refusal setting unit 2004 transmits theaddition schedule request for requesting the transmission of theaddition schedule information to the distribution server 10, as part ofthe preparation of the refusal of the distribution. The refusal settingunit 2004 displays the addition schedule information and the additionalinformation on the display control unit 2002 under a condition in whichthe communication control unit 2001 receives the addition scheduleinformation and the additional information having the additionalinformation code designated in the addition schedule information. Therefusal setting unit 2004 selects the additional information code of theadditional information refused to be distributed, based on aninstruction of the user such as the manager of the store, from theaddition schedule information. The refusal setting unit 2004 causes thecommunication control unit 2001 to transmit the store code of the storethat refuses the distribution of the additional information having theselected additional information code to the distribution server 10. Thedistribution server 10 registers the received store code in the additionschedule table 111, as the refusal store code associated with theselected additional information code.

The control unit 501 of the store server 50 loads the control program507 stored in the storage unit 502 into the RAM, and is operatedaccording to the control program 507, to implement the respectivefunctional units shown in FIG. 10 in the RAM. Specifically, the controlunit 501 of the store server 50 includes, as functional units, acommunication control unit 5001, a display control unit 5002, anoperation control unit 5003, and an addition control unit 5004.

The communication control unit 5001 controls the communication interface503 to communicate with a device such as the distribution server 10 orthe user terminal 20 connected to the distribution network 40. Thecommunication control unit 5001 controls the communication interface 503to communicate with a device such as the issuance device 60 connected tothe store network 70.

The display control unit 5002 controls the display unit 504 to displayvarious information items. The operation control unit 5003 controls theoperation unit 505 to receive inputs relating to various operations.

The addition control unit 5004 requests the issuance device 60 havingthe issuance device code of the distribution information to add theadditional information designated in the distribution information undera condition in which the communication control unit 5001 receives thedistribution information. That is, if the condition is satisfied, theaddition control unit 5004 causes the communication control unit 5001 totransmit the setting request including the distribution information tothe issuance device 60. Here, the setting request is a request to theissuance device 60 to add the additional information included in thedistribution information to the receipt when the receipt is issued.

The addition control unit 5004 cancels the setting for adding theadditional information to the issuance device 60. For example, theaddition control unit 5004 causes the communication control unit 5001 totransmit a cancellation request for canceling the setting for adding theadditional information to the receipt, to the issuance device 60 under acondition in which the operation control unit 5003 receives acancellation operation of canceling the setting for adding theadditional information.

The control unit 601 of the issuance device 60 loads the control program611 stored in the storage unit 602 into the RAM, and is operatedaccording to the control program 611, to implement the respectivefunctional units shown in FIG. 10 in the RAM. Specifically, the controlunit 601 of the issuance device 60 includes, as functional units, acommunication control unit 6001, an operation control unit 6002, anaddition setting unit 6003, an issuance control unit 6004, and a salesregistration unit 6005. In the present embodiment, an example in whichthe issuance device 60 is the POS terminal will be described.

The communication control unit 6001 functions as a reception unit of thepresent embodiment. The communication control unit 6001 controls thecommunication interface 603 to communicate with a device such as thestore server 50 connected to the store network 70. The communicationcontrol unit 6001 controls the communication interface 603 tocommunicate with a device such as distribution server 10 or the userterminal 20 connected to the distribution network 40 through the storeserver 50.

The operation control unit 6002 controls the operation unit 606 toreceive inputs relating to various operations.

The addition setting unit 6003 stores the distribution informationincluded in a received setting request in the storage unit 602 under acondition in which the setting request of the distribution informationis received by the communication control unit 6001. The addition settingunit 6003 sets the additional information included in the distributioninformation to be added to the receipt.

The addition setting unit 6003 cancels the setting for adding theadditional information to the receipt under a condition in which thecommunication control unit 6001 receives the cancellation request forcanceling the setting for adding the additional information.

The issuance control unit 6004 functions a print control unit of thepresent embodiment. The issuance control unit 6004 controls the issuanceof the receipt. More specifically, the issuance control unit 6004extracts the time period appropriate for the time when the receipt isissued from the distribution information under a condition in which thereceipt is issued. The issuance control unit 6004 extracts theadditional information associated with the addition condition receivedby the operation control unit 6002 from the extracted time period. Theissuance control unit 6004 issues the receipt to which the extractedadditional information is added. For example, the issuance control unit6004 controls the printer 607 to print the receipt to which theextracted additional information is added.

The issuance control unit 6004 controls the addition of the additionalinformation and the issues the receipt to which the additionalinformation is not added under a condition in which the addition settingunit 6003 cancels the setting for adding the additional information tothe receipt.

Here, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the receipt to whichthe additional information is added. The receipt includes a transactioncontent print region 7001, and an additional information print region7002. The transaction content print region 7001 is a region of thereceipt where the transaction content is printed. The additionalinformation print region 7002 is a region where the additionalinformation is printed. An advertisement of merchandise X is printed andadded in the additional information print region 7002 shown in FIG. 12,as the additional information. The additional information print region7002 shown in FIG. 12 is positioned under the transaction content printregion 7001, and the additional information print region 7002 may bepositioned in any area of the receipt. The transaction content printregion 7001 and the additional information print region 7002 may beseparated from each other.

The sales registration unit 6005 controls a sales data process. That is,the sales registration unit 6005 registers the merchandise having themerchandise code received by the scanner 609, as merchandise as a salestarget. The sales registration unit 6005 calculates a total amount ofmoney of the merchandise registered as the sales target.

Hereinafter, operations of the respective devices of the distributionsystem 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing anexample of a distribution process performed by the distribution server10 and the store server 50 of the distribution system 1 according to theembodiment.

The additional information registration unit 1003 of the distributionserver 10 registers the additional information in the additionalinformation table 110 (step S11). The schedule registration unit 1004 ofthe distribution server 10 registers the addition condition in theaddition schedule table 111 (step S12).

The distribution server 10 performs a refusal registration process to bedescribed below in cooperation with another device (step S13).

The distribution control unit 1007 of the distribution server 10determines whether or not the distribution condition in which thedistribution information is distributed is satisfied (step S14). Whenthe distribution condition is not satisfied (step S14; No), thedistribution server 10 waits until the distribution condition issatisfied.

Meanwhile, when the distribution condition is satisfied (step S14; Yes),the target extraction unit 1005 of the distribution server 10 extractsthe store server 50 to which the distribution information is to bedistributed from the store table 108 (step S15).

The distribution information generation unit 1006 of the distributionserver 10 generates the distribution information to be distributed tothe extracted store server 50 (step S16). In this case, the distributioninformation generation unit 1006 generates the distribution informationexcluding the refused additional information for the store server 50 ofthe store having the store code registered as the refusal store code.

The communication control unit 1001 of the distribution server 10transmits the generated distribution information to the store server 50(step S17). In this case, the communication control unit 1001 transmitsthe distribution information excluding the refused additionalinformation to the store server 50 of the store having the store coderegistered as the refusal store code.

The communication control unit 5001 of the store server 50 receives thedistribution information (step S21).

The store server 50 performs a setting process to be described below incooperation with another device (step S22).

As above, the respective devices of the distribution system 1 end thedistribution process.

Hereinafter, a refusal registration process performed by the respectivedevices of the distribution system 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 14 isa flowchart showing an example of the refusal registration processperformed by the distribution server 10 and the user terminal 20 of thedistribution system 1 according the embodiment.

The communication control unit 2001 of the user terminal 20 transmitsthe addition schedule request for requesting the transmission of theaddition schedule information to the distribution server 10 (step S31).

The communication control unit 1001 of the distribution server 10receives the addition schedule request (step S41). The communicationcontrol unit 1001 of the distribution server transmits the additionschedule information and the additional information having theadditional information code designated in the addition scheduleinformation to the user terminal 20 (step S42).

The communication control unit 2001 of the user terminal receives theaddition schedule information and the additional information having theadditional information code designated in the addition scheduleinformation (step S32). The display control unit 2002 of the userterminal 20 displays the addition schedule information and theadditional information having the additional information code designatedin the addition schedule information on the display unit 204 (step S33).

The refusal setting unit 2004 of the user terminal 20 determines whetheror not the user has selected refusal of the additional information (stepS34). Under a condition in which the user has not selected the refusal(step S34; No), the user terminal 20 ends the refusal registrationprocess.

Meanwhile, under a condition in which the user has selected the refusal(step S34; Yes), the communication control unit 2001 of the userterminal 20 transmits the selected additional information code and thestore code of the store for which the distribution of the additionalinformation has been refused, to the distribution server 10 (step S35).

The communication control unit 1001 of the distribution server 10receives the selected additional information code and the store code ofthe store for which the distribution of the additional information hasbeen refused (step S43). The schedule registration unit 1004 of thedistribution server 10 associates the received store code with thereceived additional information code, and registers the received storecode as the refusal store code in the addition schedule table 111 (stepS44).

As above, the respective devices of the distribution system 1 end therefusal registration process.

Hereinafter, the setting process performed by the respective devices ofthe distribution system 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 15 is aflowchart showing an example of the setting process performed by thestore server 50 and the issuance device 60 of the distribution system 1according to the embodiment.

The communication control unit 5001 of the store server 50 transmits thedistribution information received from the distribution server 10 toeach issuance device 60 (step S51).

The communication control unit 6001 of the issuance device 60 receivesthe distribution information (step S61). The addition setting unit 6003of the issuance device 60 sets the additional information included inthe received distribution information to be added to the receipt (stepS62).

As above, the respective devices of the distribution system 1 end thesetting process.

Hereinafter, a cancellation process performed by the respective devicesof the distribution system 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 16 is aflowchart showing an example of the cancellation process performed bythe store server 50 and the issuance device 60 of the distributionsystem 1 according to the embodiment.

The display control unit 5002 of the store server 50 displays theadditional information having the additional information code includedin the addition schedule information on the display unit 504 (step S71).Accordingly, the display control unit 5002 allows the manager of thestore to identify whether or not the displayed additional information isthe additional information to be refused.

The addition control unit 5004 of the store server 50 determines whetheror not cancellation setting for canceling the addition of the additionalinformation has been input (step S72). Under a condition in which thecancellation setting has not been input (step S72; No), the store server50 ends the cancellation process.

Meanwhile, under a condition in which the cancellation setting has beeninput (step S72; Yes), the communication control unit 5001 of the storeserver 50 transmits the cancellation request for requesting to cancelthe setting for adding the additional information, to the issuancedevice 60 (step S73).

The communication control unit 6001 of the issuance device 60 receivesthe cancellation request (step S81). The addition setting unit 6003 ofthe issuance device 60 cancels the setting for adding the additionalinformation (step S82).

As above, the respective devices of the distribution system 1 end thecancellation process.

Hereinafter, an issuance process performed by the issuance device 60will be described. Here, FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example ofthe issuance process performed by the issuance device 60 according tothe embodiment.

The operation control unit 6002 of the issuance device 60 receives aninput of the addition condition (step S91). That is, the operationcontrol unit 6002 receives, for example, an input of the attribute ofthe customer.

The issuance control unit 6004 of the issuance device 60 extracts thetime period appropriate for the time when the receipt is allowed to beissued, from the distribution information (step S92).

The issuance control unit 6004 of the issuance device 60 extracts theadditional information associated with the addition conditionappropriate for the attribute of the customer from the time periodextracted instep S92 (step S93).

The issuance control unit 6004 of the issuance device 60 determineswhether or not the addition of the extracted additional information iscanceled (step S94). Under a condition in which the addition of theadditional information is not canceled (step S94; No), the issuancecontrol unit 6004 of the issuance device 60 issues the receipt to whichthe additional information is added (step S95).

Meanwhile, under a condition in which the addition of the additionalinformation is canceled (step S94; Yes), the issuance control unit 6004of the issuance device 60 issues the receipt to which the additionalinformation is not added (step S96).

As above, the respective devices of the distribution system 1 end theissuance process.

As described above, in accordance with the distribution system 1according to the present embodiment, the distribution server 10 managesthe store table 108, the issuance device table 109, the additionalinformation table 110, and the addition schedule table 111. Thedistribution server 10 distributes the additional information added tothe receipt to the stores having the company codes of the store table108. Here, the distribution server 10 controls the distribution of therefused additional information under a condition in which thedistribution of the additional information is refused. Thus, theissuance device 60 does not add the additional information to theprinted matter such as the receipt. Accordingly, the distribution server10 can limit the information to be added to the printed matter on a perstore basis.

The program to be executed by each device according to the embodiment ora modification example is previously embedded into a storage medium (ROMor storage unit) of each device and is provided, but the program is notlimited thereto. For example, the program may be in recorded as a filehaving an installable or executable format in a computer readablerecording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or adigital versatile disk (DVD), and may be provided. The storage medium isnot limited to a medium independent from a computer or an embeddedsystem, and may include a storage medium that stores or temporarilystores a program which is delivered and downloaded by a LAN or theInternet.

The program to be executed by each device according to the embodiment orthe modification example may be stored in a computer connected to anetwork such as the Internet, and may be provided by being downloadedvia the network. Alternatively, the program may be provided ordistributed via the network such as the Internet.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described hereinmay be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodimentsdescribed herein maybe made without departing from the spirit of theinventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intendedto cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope andspirit of the inventions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A networked computer system comprising: a centralserver at a root node of the networked computer system; a plurality ofstore servers that are intermediate nodes of the networked computersystem, the store servers including a first store server communicatingwith the central server over a first network and a second store servercommunicating with the central server over the first network; aplurality of first receipt issuing devices that are leaf nodes of thenetworked computer system, the first receipt issuing devicescommunicating with the first store server over a first local network;and a plurality of second receipt issuing devices that are also leafnodes of the networked computer system, the second receipt issuingdevices communicating with the second store server over a second localnetwork, wherein the central server is configured to store contentinformation that associates: store codes for identifying storescorresponding to the store servers, device codes for identifying thefirst and second receipt issuing devices, and print specifications ofthe first and second receipt issuing devices, and according to the printspecifications, generate content that is to be added to receipts issuedby the first and second receipt issuing devices, a first control planeis implemented at the root node to control whether or not the content isto be distributed to the first store server and whether or not thecontent is to be distributed to the second store server based on thestored content information, and a second control plane is implemented ateach of the intermediate nodes, the second control plane implemented atthe first store server controlling whether or not the content is to bedistributed to the first receipt issuing devices and the second controlplane implemented at the second store server controlling whether or notthe content is to be distributed to the second receipt issuing devices.2. The networked computer system of claim 1, wherein the first controlplane is accessed through an interface made available by the centralserver.
 3. The networked computer system of claim 2, wherein the secondcontrol plane is accessed through an interface made available by therespective store server.
 4. The networked computer system of claim 1,wherein the first receipt issuing devices includes a first device with afirst print specification and a second device with a second printspecification, and the second receipt issuing devices includes a thirddevice with the first print specification and a fourth device with thesecond print specification, and the central server is configured toselect as a distribution target for the content, the first and thirddevices and not the second and fourth devices.
 5. The networked computersystem of claim 1, wherein the first receipt issuing devices includes afirst device with a first print specification and a second device with asecond print specification, and the second receipt issuing devicesincludes a third device with the first print specification and a fourthdevice with the second print specification, and the central server isconfigured to select as a distribution target for a first content, thefirst and third devices and not the second and fourth devices, and toselect as a distribution target for a second content, the second andfourth devices and not the first and third devices.
 6. The networkedcomputer system of claim 5, wherein the first content and the secondcontent include an identical advertising message but differ in at leastone of printing size and printing resolution.
 7. The networked computersystem of claim 6, wherein the printing size and the printing resolutionof the first content match those defined in the first printspecification, and the printing size and the printing resolution of thesecond content match those defined in the second print specification. 8.The networked computer system of claim 6, wherein the first content andthe second content further include an item image.
 9. The networkedcomputer system of claim 1, wherein the content is associated with atime period, and the first and second receipt issuing devices are eachconfigured to add the content to the receipts only during the timeperiod.
 10. The networked computer system of claim 1, wherein thecontent is associated with customer attribute information, and the firstand second receipt issuing devices are each configured to add thecontent to the receipts according to the customer attribute information.11. The networked computer system of claim 1, wherein the central serverstores a content code of the content, associated with the store codescorresponding to the store servers to which the content is notdistributed.
 12. The networked computer system of claim 11, wherein thecentral server is configured to accept a request for storing a storecode corresponding to a store server to which the content is notdistributed.
 13. The networked computer system of claim 12, wherein therequest is transmitted from a user device to the central server.
 14. Thenetworked computer system of claim 11, wherein each of the store serversconfigured to display the content, accept an input of a request for notdistributing the content to the store server, and transmit the requestto the central server.